This invention relates to merchandising or storing devices for soft drink bottles, and particularly to a neck-hanging type bottle dispensing device in which bottles are suspended by their neck flanges and carried forward by gravity on an inclined track.
Merchandising devices of the neck-hanging type have been used in the merchandising of soft drink bottles such as PET bottles having outwardly projecting annular neck flanges. These devices have an elongate track having a pair of opposed parallel rails integrally formed with and extending along the track. The necks of flanged bottles are received in the gap between the track rails so that the bottles are engaged at their neck flanges with the rails and thus suspended by their necks. The bottles are automatically arranged in a row along the track as they are loaded into the track. The track is normally inclined downwardly toward its front end and thus the suspended bottles are allowed to gravity feed one after another to the front end as the leading or foremost bottles in the row are removed from the track through the front end. A length of the track adjacent to the front end is upturned relative to the remainder of the track to stop each leading bottle at the front end and to thereby present it for removal from the track.
Soft drink bottles are currently available in many different sizes, e.g., 28 mm, 38 mm and 42 mm, which sizes refer to neck diameters. In these circumstances, it is desirable to provide the merchandising devices with a convertibility feature so that any bottle size can be accommodated.
One form of conventional neck-hanging merchandising device adaptable for different neck diameters is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,484 which is owned by the assignee of the present invention. In this patent, convertibility is achieved by providing detachable plastic strips that can be pressed onto the rails of a track to reduce the size of the gap between the track rails. This solution requires substantial friction between each strip and the associated track rail to keep the strip on the rail against the load applied by the suspended bottles. Such a requirement contradicts with a preferred track arrangement wherein the rails and the strips are formed from, or at least coated with, low friction material to minimize friction between the track and the suspended bottles.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved neck-hanging type merchandising device in which detachable members for adjusting the track gap size can be securely attached to the track body while conventional low friction materials are used for both the track body and the detachable members.
In meeting the foregoing needs, the present invention provides a neck-hanging type merchandising device including an elongate track for slidably supporting a row of flanged bottles. The track comprises a track body including a pair of opposed side walls extending along the track, and a pair of rail members detachably attached to the side walls of the body, respectively. Each rail member comprises a connector panel extending alongside the respective side wall and a supporting ledge joined to and extending along the panel. The ledges of the rail members project laterally of the panels toward each other and are disposed with a gap therebetween to receive in the gap the necks of the bottles such that the bottles are slidably engaged at the undersides of the neck flanges with the ledges. The track further comprises means for detachably attaching the connector panels of the rail members to the side walls, respectively.
According to the invention, the rail members of different ledge widths can be interchangeably used to accommodate bottles of different neck diameters. The connector panels of the rail members are attached to the side walls of the track body to assure the secure engagement between the body and the members without use of any friction material.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the body further includes a top wall which interconnects the upper edges of the side walls to form an elongate channel structure. The connector panel of each rail member is disposed, preferably, alongside the inside surface of the respective side wall although it may be located alongside the outside surface of the respective side wall.
In another preferred embodiment, the ledge of each rail member is joined to the respective panel along its lower edge to form an elongate member of a generally L-shaped cross section.
In still another preferred embodiment, the attaching means comprises at least one locking element formed on each rail member and at least one cooperating locking aperture formed in the respective side wall to receive the one locking element of that rail member.
A preferred form of the attaching means requires each rail member to have a front end projecting forwardly of the front edge of the respective side wall. In the attachment means of the preferred form, the one locking element extends rearwardly from the front end of each rail member to engage the perimeter of the one locking aperture formed adjacent to the front edge of the respective side wall.
In an alternative form of the attaching means, the at least one locking aperture in the respective side wall are keyhole apertures formed along the lower edge of the respective side wall, and the at least one locking element of each rail member are headed projection.
In another alternative form of the attaching means, the attaching means further includes a plurality of engaging elements formed on and arranged longitudinally along the respective side wall to engage the upper edge of the panel of the adjacent rail member. In this form, the attaching means may further include a pair of flanges joined respectively to the side walls along their lower edges. These flanges on the side walls may project laterally toward each other along undersides of the adjacent ledges to support the rail members. Each flange cooperates with the engaging elements on the respective side wall to define a socket for slidably receiving the respective rail member for sliding movement along the track. Each engaging element may be a tab formed from the respective side wall. Such a tab may be turned toward the adjacent flange to provide a downwardly extending portion for engagement with the panel of the adjacent rail member. Preferably, the width or lateral size of the flanges is no greater than that of the ledges.
In a further preferred embodiment, the track further comprises stopper means for engagement with the leading bottle in the row to prevent the leading bottle from exiting the front end of the track. The front end of the track may be defined by the respective front ends of the rail members, and the stopper means may include the respective lengths of the rail members adjacent to the front ends of the rail members. The length of each rail member may include a portion of its ledge upturned relative to the other portion of the ledge to provide a forwardly upwardly sloping ledge section.
In a still further preferred embodiment, the merchandising device further comprises supporting means for supporting the track such that the track is inclined downwardly toward the front. By this means, the bottles when supported by the track are allowed to gravity feed toward the front end as leading bottles in the row are removed from the track.
In a still further preferred embodiment, each rail member is formed as a discrete member separate from the body. Each rail member may molded from plastic, and the track body may be formed from metal.
The objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.